lead writer

BioWare and Electronic Arts released Mass Effect 3 this week. Before the game’s launch, I had a chance to chat with Mac Walters, the title’s lead writer. Our conversation happened on Friday morning. It was over the phone. This interview is spoiler-free.

Me: Thanks for taking the time out to talk to me Mac. I know how you’re busy. Let’s start off with an easy question. How is writing a BioWare game different from other types of writing like TV or film?

Walters: There are two big things that separate our style of writing from all those mediums. That’s branching narratives. Of course, what I mean by that is narrative choices. But even in a context of a single conversation, there’s multiple paths for dialogue. We branch on choices and other ones you made in the past.

They have three different ways of saying a line based on past events. Some gets you up to speed. Others can be based on people who are alive or dead. You have to talk to them longer. You have all these choices. It’s a bit of an art. It’s a way of basing these choices to present a cohesive story.

Player agency is the second one. We’re writing the story in the way that you have control of the story. It lets you discover the choices as a play.